Dutch await reaction after MP releases film on Qur'an

Dutch MP Geert Wilders released a film critical of Islam yesterday, setting verses of the Qur'an against images of terror attacks. The 15-minute film, entitled Fitna - strife or division - was posted on the internet, and shortly afterwards segments were rebroadcast by TV channels.

The government had warned Wilders, leader of the righwing Party for Freedom, the film could cause violent protests in Islamic countries, as did cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad two years ago.

"The film equates Islam with violence. We reject this," the prime minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, told TV. "We ... regret that Mr Wilders has released this film. We believe it serves no other purpose than to cause offence."

Initially, Dutch TV refused to broadcast the film, and Wilders had difficulty finding an internet platform. It shows statements from radical clerics and cites Qur'anic verses interspersed with images from attacks including the 9/11 attack in 2001, the 2004 attack in Spain, and the murder later in 2004 of Dutch filmmaker, Theo van Gogh.

It begins and ends with one of the cartoons portraying Muhammad. Then there comes the sound of a page being torn; subtitles told the viewer it was from a phone book, because "it's not up to me, but the Muslims to tear the hate-sowing pages out of the Qur'an".

Wilders told reporters that he had made the film because "Islam and the Qur'an are dangers to the preservation of freedom in the Netherlands in the long term, and I have to warn people of that. It's five minutes before midnight and this is the last warning as far as I'm concerned."

Early reactions were muted. Yusuf Altuntas, of the Contact Group Muslims and Government, said he believed that Wilders "is seeking the limits, but not crossing the line. For Mr Wilders, this is quite subtle."

The film was not as jarring as had been anticipated, said Maurits Berger, professor of Islam in the West at Leiden University. "It's images and photos, headlines from recent years we already know about."

In fact, the film told more about Wilders than it did about the Qur'an, Berger argued. "It represents his fear of Islam."

It was released the evening before a judge was due to hear a Muslim group seeking an independent review to decide whether the film violates hate speech laws. The Dutch Islamic Federation was asking the court to impose a fine of €50,000 (£39,000) every day the film continues to be available for public view.

Mohamed Rabbae, of the moderate National Moroccan Council, had appealed for calm in January when the film was discussed before release. Yesterday he had yet to see the film, but felt "this is less bad than we thought he was going to do", but nevertheless it gave the impression the Qur'an justifies violence, "and that is really wrong". Thousands of Dutch people had demonstrated in Amsterdam on Saturday to dissociate themselves from Wilders.